peacock feathers inside clear glass ornaments

25 ideas for decorating clear glass ornaments

I keep seeing all these great ideas for decorating and/or filling clear glass ornaments (on Pinterest, of course!), so I decided to compile a big list of all my favorites. Just click on the picture to take you to the tutorial by the original creator.

This is so rustic, and I love the tiny little pine cones:

pine branches and pinecones inside clear glass bulb

 Here’s a simpler version, but equally gorgeous (I think this might be a spring of rosemary):

pine needles inside glass ball ornament

And since I’m on a rustic theme, isn’t this cute? A little bit of holly, faux snow, and some tiny wooden blocks, and you’ve got yet another variation:

holly and letter blocks inside clear glass ornament

An ornament filled with pearls… very elegant.

clear glass ornament filled with pearls

You could even fill an ornament with cheap dollar store beaded necklaces!

clear glass ornament filled with bead necklaces

Or mini gift bows! So cute.

gift bows in clear glass ornaments

I think this is my favorite idea of all… put your kid’s Christmas list inside an ornament and you’ve got a keepsake forever. How awesome will that be years from now?

kids christmas list inside glass ornament

Here’s a couple of different ideas for using fake snow. This one is simply a paper tree cut out, glittered, and surrounded by snow:

paper tree with snow in clear glass ornament

A tiny bottle brush tree sitting in snow:.

bottle brush tree in clear glass ornament

A snow filled ornament, with a simple piece of ribbon wrapped around the outside:

grosgrain ribbon around clear ornament filled with faux snow

These are adorable. Just some snow, easy painted face, and a baby sock for a hat:

clear glass snowman ornaments

I hope you can stand all this cuteness, ’cause here’s another one. A melted snowman inside the ornament. Oh. Em. Goodness….

melted snowman in clear glass ornament

How about rolling up a bunch of strips of paper? (or ribbon…?)

scrap paper filled ornament

Solid red paper strips made into a Santa belly ornament:

santa belly Christmas ornaments

I have seen paper strips cut from books inside glass ornaments before, but this is different; the book pages are punched into snowflake shapes:

book page confetti inside clear glass ornament

I would have never thought rolls of yarn and rope would look so great in an ornament:

yarn and rope filled ornaments

How about filling an ornament with jingle bells? So festive.

jingle bell filled clear glass ornament

I also found a few ideas for great wedding keepsakes. This one is filled with dried petals from a bridal bouquet:

wedding bouquet petals inside clear glass ornament

And this one is filled with strips cut out from a wedding invitation (This would be a FABULOUS gift idea for the newlyweds!):

(I found this picture on Pinterest but the link was broken, and unfortunately, I couldn’t find where it came from…)

wedding invitation inside clear ornament

Prepare to be wowed. Peacock feathers inside glass ornaments, and hung in a cluster together. Simply STUNNING.

peacock feathers inside clear glass ornaments

And here are a couple of ornaments I’ve come up with in the past:

Seashells and sand inside an ornament makes a great vacation keepsake:

seashell and sand in clear glass ornament

Fill an ornament with holly berries:

holly berries in clear glass ornament

Or if you’re a Barbie fanatic like me, fill an ornament with Barbie shoes!

barbie shoes inside clear glass ornament

Filled with popcorn:

clear glass ornament filled with popcorn

Or, coat the inside of the ornaments with glitter:

glitter inside clear glass ornaments

Have you ever crafted with clear glass ornaments? I’d love to hear the ideas you’ve come up with!

167 Comments

  1. Decoración on September 16, 2014 at 4:30 am

    I love it, thanks! :-)

  2. Elizabeth on October 24, 2014 at 5:32 am

    I love your examples!

    Here’s one I plan to make this Christmas for my fiber arts friends. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/472948398342066565/

  3. G Coffey on November 1, 2014 at 6:07 am

    I gave each of my co-workers a different colored sheet of craft paper divided into the number of us in the office and had each person sign their names in each section. I then cut the signatures apart and rolled them around a pencil and pushed each rolled up signature into a clear glass ball. Using a metallic silver paint pen, I wrote the company name and year on the outside and voila! A personalized ornament/gift

  4. Elaine Jamison on November 13, 2014 at 5:12 am

    on snowman ornaments, do you cut baby sock to get silver hanging cord through it
    also, what kind of paint for face or do you use permanent marker?

  5. Melissa on November 19, 2014 at 5:58 am

    I hand engrave and fill engraving with paint

  6. […] Nest 13. Succulent Ornament You can also create a succulent-inspired ornament. Image Credit: The Ornament Girl 14. Mailbox Decor Give your mailbox the holiday treatment with a bit of pine cone decor. Image […]

  7. Elaine Jamison on November 21, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    WHAT SIZE GLASS BALL IS USED FOR SNOWMEN AND HOW TO GET SOCKS TO STAY ON BALL-HOT GLUE?

    • but on November 15, 2016 at 8:33 pm

      Hot glue it

  8. carol on November 30, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I filled a clear ornament with items we used to decorate for my newly married daughters wedding and i put their name and date on it. Im giving it to her for on their first christmas tree.

  9. Becky on December 3, 2014 at 2:46 am

    I took my sons graduation tassel from last year and put it in the bulb and fed the end of hanging deal on the tassel thru the top to hang from the tree. This year I’ve taken my nieces wedding invitation and cut it up and put in a clear bulb. I incorporated the ribbon that was on her wedding program to hang from the tree. I also plan to take my sister-in-laws program from her funeral and do put it in a clear bulb (cut up of course) except her pix with fake snow for her children.

    • Mary okeeffe on November 21, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      What a beatiful idea for your sisters family love all those ideas

  10. […] Glass balls are a classic staple of Christmas ornaments and you can really make them your own by either painting them or “stuffing” them. We love the mix of materials in this glass ornament. Get a plethora of wonderful ideas to decorate clear glass ornaments at The Ornament Girl. […]

  11. […] super affordable and can be painted, filled with stuff to be made into snowglobes and more. The possibilities are endless. With one container of ornaments in a similar color scheme for the bulk of your ornaments and an […]

  12. Kaila on December 10, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    That was all really cute !! :)

  13. Lulu on December 12, 2014 at 4:07 am

    I have looked everywhere in town for the pledge multi-floor cleaner you show on your site and I can’t find it. Is there anything else I can use?

    • Shirlene Deal on October 8, 2016 at 12:22 am

      I found the Pledge Multi Floor Cleaner at my local K-Mart. I would assume they would have it at Walmart and some of the larger chain grocery stores. It comes in a white bottle (27 fl. oz) with a blue cap and a blue label. I found it where the other floor cleaners are located.

      • Staci Ann Lowry on October 8, 2016 at 9:30 am

        Thanks for the heads up, Shirlene!

      • Fran Vankley on November 5, 2016 at 9:28 pm

        How much wasbit?

    • Fran Vankley on November 5, 2016 at 9:28 pm

      Liquid glue 2 good size bottles for 99 cents at a teacher school craft shop

    • Anonymous on December 3, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      You can use Bona and mop & too. You should be able to find one of those. If not you can always find on line.

  14. […] are many, many, MANY ornament ideas out there for using clear […]

  15. Pam on December 14, 2014 at 4:40 am

    I am looking for clear glass balls 4″ -6″ diameter. Has anyone seen any this large? Has anyone tried paint inside? What type of paint

    • Lyn W. on December 22, 2014 at 3:29 pm

      I used acrylic paint.

    • Sam on December 13, 2015 at 1:38 pm

      I found them in Walmart

    • Anonymous on November 12, 2016 at 3:29 pm

      I just saw a whole bunch at dollar tree store…

    • Gail on November 30, 2016 at 9:57 pm

      Our Craft store has them. We have in this area A.C. Moore and we have Michael’s in my area. Hope that helps.

  16. David on December 19, 2014 at 1:37 am

    I am a 4th grade teacher, and every year I do some kind of ornament craft before Christmas break as a functional text activity. I write out the instructions for the craft, and the students follow the instructions to make their ornament. They have some choice in the activity such as the color or what they want to put inside (tinsel, loose glitter, etc.). This year I have a bunch of stuff left over from previous years, so this year is a big choice year for students.
    One of the things we use when we are doing glass ornaments is water soluble, water color tempera poster paint (brand name: Clean Color). The idea is that you squirt a little in along one side of the ornament and roll the ornament around to cover the inside where you want it. Then turn the bulb a little more and put more paint in. If you use two colors, and repeat this process, you can come up with some really neat designs that look really nice. The particular brand we use has paints that already have glitter embedded, as well as metallic colors, and neon colors. One of my favorite things to do is to do the above process, but I intentionally leave gaps between the colors and then put tinsel inside of the ornament that can be seen through the gaps.

    • Miranda on December 18, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      I have done that, only instead of rolling it we used a marble to roll/swirl the paint around inside the ornament

  17. Sherry Giles on December 20, 2014 at 3:33 am

    Where is the best place to get the clear ornaments! What sizes do they come in? Too late for this Christmas but my grandson has started playing the upright bass and we wanted fill the clear ornaments with cut up music sheets. I will need ornaments large enough to do this.

    • Sam on December 13, 2015 at 1:39 pm

      I found them in Walmart for $4.99/9 ornaments

    • Fran Vankley on November 6, 2016 at 4:08 am

      Hobby lobby 1/2 0ff now acrylic and glass. Good size. 6.99 /3.50 for 4. Seen real large at Dollar tree.
      Jo Ann are higher but with coupon about .75 to 1.00 depending on size

      Didn’t think Walmart had good prices

      Target were t bad. I like to pay about .75 ea or lower

    • Anonymous on December 20, 2016 at 9:47 pm

      Dollar Tree just had tons of them

  18. Lyn W. on December 22, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    I filled some with sequins, others with colored beads. Bought some stick-on “rhinestones” and decorated more. Rather pleased with the way they all turned out!

  19. Debi @ That Crafty Lunch Lady on January 4, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    These ornaments are so simple yet beautiful! I’m pinning to try this coming Christmas.

  20. Ellen on January 30, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    I have found the clear ornaments at Michaels, Walmart, and Big Lots around the holidays . It is best to get them after the holidays to take advantage of the post holiday sales. You may be able to find them online at this time.

  21. […] great ideas decorating / filling clear glass ornaments ( pinterest, !), decided compile big list . 25 ideas for decorating clear glass ornamentsChristmas decorating, ideas & tips | hgtv, From trimming tree cooking, decorating celebrating, […]

  22. dee dee on April 7, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    hello,

    could you tell me what is the best paper to use for christmas ornaments to roll and put inside globe.
    also could suggest what kind of printer would be best or program.

    Thank you!

    Dee Dee Antle

    • Martha on August 17, 2015 at 1:35 pm

      I have done this with wedding invitations, baby announcements and scrapbooking paper. They all worked well!

  23. AORSTHENNA F on September 28, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    DO YOU JUST USE ALCOHOL INSIDE OR JUST OUTSIDE?

  24. DA on October 29, 2015 at 10:32 pm

    I am new to diy clear glass ornaments. My ornaments are cloudy in appearance and I would like to know if I am missing something. Do we have to clean them first with something. and what?

    • Staci Ann Lowry on October 30, 2015 at 8:30 pm

      Hi there….. Yes, they do tend to be very dusty when new. You can clean them by swishing a little bit of rubbing alcohol around inside them first, and then draining it. The alcohol leaves them nice and sparkly, and dries quickly too. (You can also just drain the alcohol from one ornament, right into the next ornament, and clean a bunch at once to keep from using up a lot of it.)

      Hope that helps! :)

  25. Jacqueline on November 2, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    Help! I put petals from my sisters bouquet in clear glass ornaments but now it is fogged up and has a rainbow effect. How can I fix this?

  26. Julia Johnson on November 10, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    My almost-ten years-old (tomorrow) granddaughter and I love to make filled glass, or plastic, Christmas ornaments, inspired by your great designs. And it gives us a chance to visit and sew and read, etc, etc. and to have a sleep-over. She manages my Bernina 1630 almost as well as I do. She is a quick study.

    Thank you for the inspiration.
    Julia/aka Judy Johnson

  27. jewelz on November 14, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    If you are using paint on the inside of your clear bulb ornaments, only use a little bit of paint at a time, one color at a time. And let each color dry before you start with another color. Otherwise the colors run together and become muddled! And if too much paint is used at once, the paint tends to settle at the bottom in a puddle and it will take a long time to dry…..if it dries. Start early with this project, be patient, and trial & error can prove to surprise you with some cool results

  28. Tiff on November 18, 2015 at 5:09 pm

    Is there a trick to getting paper in the ornaments that you can read clearly once assembled? I’m thinking of asking my friends to be bridesmaids with filled clear ornaments and I want the message to be on the inside. I’m concerned about the paper wrinkling or crumpling by the time I get it in the ornament. Are there any tools anyone would recommend I use before I begin my project?

    • Drocco on November 29, 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Wrap the paper around a pencil and put into ornament. Next take long nosed tweezers and straighten out the paper against the side of the ornament. I found long nosed tweezers at a sewing store. I have also put pictures in on velvet paper and hung inside the ornament with a ribbon. Good Luck!

  29. Donna Brown on November 29, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    We xeroxed a picture of the head of Christ onto lite weight plastic sheets. We cut around the head somewhat and rolled the picture around a pencil to insert into the glass ball. Once inside, the plastic opened up and clung to the inside of the ball. Each girl in our group took one home to invite Jesus Christ into their family’s Christmas.

    • Patti Rokus on December 12, 2015 at 1:04 am

      LOVE IT! I’m doing this for my Sunday School 10 year olds. they will write their “gift” to Jesus, and put it inside with a red bead to represent the forgiveness made possible, and a pearl bead to represent how precious each child is to God.

  30. Denise on November 29, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    I was wondering what size wooden alphabet beads you used inside the clear glass ornament.

  31. […] The ornament girl […]

  32. Kim on January 11, 2016 at 10:41 am

    Everytime I try to paint inside the ornament the paint either runs to one side or drips out of the end. Same when I use glitter. How do I get the nice even coat everyone else seems to get?

  33. Whitney Black on March 11, 2016 at 1:50 pm

    Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful ornament ideas! My favorite was the kid’s Christmas list inside. I think that is such a great personalized ornament that I would treasure forever! I’m curious if the type of paper matters when trying to get it inside?

    • Staci Ann Lowry on March 15, 2016 at 11:46 am

      Hi Whitney.. I love that one, too! It isn’t one of my own ornaments, but I imagine as long as the paper is thick enough to hold its shape, it would work! If you click the picture, it will take you to the blog author who came up with the idea, so you might want to ask them just to make sure. :)

  34. […] 25 ideas for decorating clear glass … – The Ornament Girl – 25 ideas for decorating clear glass … I keep seeing all these great ideas for decorating and/or … put your kid’s Christmas list inside an ornament and you … […]

  35. […] 25 ideas for decorating clear glass … – The Ornament Girl – I keep seeing all these great ideas for decorating and/or filling clear glass ornaments (on Pinterest, of course!), so I decided to compile a big list of all my … […]

  36. […] fonte foto […]

  37. […] source photo […]

  38. Tonya on November 4, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    I filled one with miniature glitter pom poms.

  39. Laurie on November 23, 2016 at 11:48 pm

    I am going to try to poke holes in my clear Plastic bulbs and put pine scented items or cinnamon sticks in some to scent the air when the tree is lit and they are warmed by the lights.
    I hope it works!

  40. Dani on December 8, 2016 at 12:55 pm

    Hi. Can anyone tell me where they buy their fillable ornaments? I want the kind that open and split in half. I see all kinds of terrible reviews on Amazon and it’s so hard to tell if the reviews are put their by the company that is selling them. I keep putting the links into fakespot.com and they are overwhelmingly false reviews. Which brand or which store do you trust? Thanks!!

    • Kimberly on December 13, 2016 at 12:27 am

      You can buy fillable ornaments at Joann’s, both in-store and online.

      P.S. Staci I am a Barbie collector with over 400 “girls”…..loved the B shoes ornament idea!

  41. Kris on December 13, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    I put curled strips of music, red and green pom poms, ribbon, etc.
    KrisMusicandMore. On Etsy.com

  42. Cherri on December 27, 2016 at 6:38 am

    How do you get the tiny trees into the narrow top of the Xmas ball?

  43. Carolyn on December 31, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    I see you have popcorn in a glass/plastic ball. Do you know of anything that might preserve the popcorn?

  44. Patrincia Mccance on January 13, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    I have a lit is of Xmas ornaments of all kines do you have any I ideas on how to use them

  45. […] fonte foto […]

  46. Christmas Crafts and Treats – Regina Mcgill on November 11, 2017 at 10:28 am

    […] Paper Strip Santa Claus from The Ornament Girl […]

  47. […] gift to Jesus each year to the ornament. You could get super creative with decorating the ornament. Here are some ideas from another blogger. I just attached a strip of glitter washi tape to it and drew a row of stars. I think it’s […]

  48. Cindy. on July 20, 2018 at 6:59 am

    I loved your site and I love crafting easy to click for information to craft it thank you so much and Merry to you

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